Miss me by 100
by nico229
Summary: Prompt fic suggested by one of my reviewers. AU in which Caleb paid Travis to help Hanna's mom out. Weeks later as caleb returns to Rosewood sparks fly because secrets come out making Hanna's life twist once more.
1. Chapter 1

Lucas watched the building in front of him carefully. Not going to to school for a period of time had it's perks, especially when by doing this he'd stumbled upon the one thing he wanted: a way of helping Hanna Marin, the girl he had been in love with for the better part of his high school years.  
when he heard of her mother's arrest after she was accused of killing det. Wilden, his first instinct was to go over and try and comfort her. the only thing that refrained Lucas from doing so was the fact that he knew she had caleb Rivers, standing by her side. Caleb Rivers, the one person who had been his first true friend in high school. Lucas still felt guilty for betraying Caleb's trust at the end of the time they lived together with his parents.  
Pulling his car near Caleb's apartment's building, Lucas climbed the stairs quickly. Knocking at the door he waited impatiently, carefully looking aroundso that no one would see him there. Lucas pushed his way inside Caleb's house as soon as Caleb opened the door.  
-"Lucas? What's going on? Why are you here? At 3 a.m.? Is everything ok? Are your parents alright? Did something happen?" Despite the late hour Caleb couldn't sleep. He'd spent the night at first stopping Hanna from turning herself in to the police for killing Wilden, only for Mona to end up doing so herself, surprising everyone of their group of people about it. Caleb had been pacing his room ever since he got home, feeling frustrated at not being able to help Ashley Marin, not just for Hanna's sake, but because he genuinely cared about the older woman.  
-"Hanna's mom. She's being framed for Wilden's murder. And there's someone who saw what really happened that night at the lake... but he won't come forth and tell the truth". Caleb watched him surprised at what he'd just heard. Naturally he knew everything about Ashley Marin, being framed by 'A', but as a person who to his own shame had previously believed her to be guilty and then recently realising she wasn't it took him quite a few moments to take in what Lucas had just told him.  
-"Ok Lucas tell me what you know about this." Lucas looked around the room uncomfortably, preparing himself for what he had to say.  
-"Ok so as you probably remember I still owe you some serios money. I've gotten myself a full time job ever since I stopped coming to school at one of the local gas station's. The night that Wilden died, Travis my boss'son was at the lake fixing his car. It was broken. From what I gather there is some seriously bad going on between his family and Wilden... Was. Anyway I tried talking to him into telling the truth about that night but he told me doesn't want to say a word about it. He doesn't want to get more involved into this. Nor does he want to get his family dragged down an murder investigation hole. That's why I'm here. You need to convince him to tell the truth. For Hanna's sake most of all, she really won't make it through if her mom's convincted for something that she didn't do"...  
-"I'll talk to him. Thank you for letting me know about this". Lucas nodded his head and with out saying another word left the house knowing that Caleb will definitely find a way to make things right for Hanna.

**Katie, this story is for you, thank you for suggesting the idea to me and I hope you like the way I go around writing it.**


	2. Chapter 2

-"Ok, the night when Wilden was shot I was supposed to have the night off, but suddenly Travis called me and asked me to replace him for a couple oh hours, saying he had some stuff to do for his dad. The thing is half an hour later his dad asked me about his where abouts and he didn't seem pleased when I told him what I knew. I then heard him call Travis and mention Wilden;s name... that got my attention as you can imagine. By the time Travis came back he was completely pale and scared shitless about something. I heard him talk to his dad about what happened and how he wouldn't say a word about it because it would get his dad into trouble. Caleb you need to talk to him. He needs to tell the truth and i have no way of doing that with out causing more questions about this whole mess. But Hanna's mom really needs all the help that she can get. Talk to him, please".  
Caleb sat down on a chair in his loft taking in what Lucas told him. Carefully reconsidering everything he knew about Lucas. Sighing he faced his old friend.  
-"You love Hanna, too, don't you? That's why you came after me and brought me back when I left Rosewood. That's why you're doing this now".  
-"She's been my friend when Allison was alive. And yes I love her, nut she's happy when she's with you. And sometimes the best way to love someone is to let them go be happy with someone else. Make no mistake if you ever hurt her I will find a way to make you pay dearly". Lucas headed out the door leaving Caleb, Travis' phone number and e-mail adress. Caleb watched him go silently aknowledging that anyone else but Lucas wouldn't have made such a gesture. Going out of their way into helping Hanna's mom... not with the way he was feeling about Hanna. Quickly maping out a plan Caleb finally felt sleep take over him.  
As the sunrise came a restless Caleb woke up , after getting almost no sleep once Lucas had left his loft. Quickly making his way around town Caleb went to the gas station where Travis worked. Carefully studying the person in front of him and the place where he was working Caleb realizedthat making him talk wouldn't be as easy as it seemed. He silently observed Travis up until he left thegas station and headed to one of the small cafes near the Brew. Caleb debated whether to tell Hanna about this new turn of events but decided against it. What if he couldn't convince Travis to come forth? Then Ashley would still go to jail and Hanna would never forgive herself for it.  
-"Are you Travis? My name is Caleb Rivers. You don't know me but we have something we need to talk about". Travis studied him carefully before he extended his arm silently inviting him to sit down.  
-"What do you want?"  
-"i know you witnessed what happened to det. Wilden the night that he died. I'm here to ask you to come forth and tell the police the truth".  
-"And why should I do that? No offence but if I did so I'd risk destroying my family, I risk not getting into College and more importantly what's it to you if I tell the truth or not?"  
-"Look my family's not the typical one. My parents abandoned me to foster care, and I only recently found out who they were. The person being accused of killing Wilden is my girlfriend's mom. You say that you don't want for your family to be ripped apart, but that's exactly what I'm trying to do here. To stop the girl that I love from loosing her mom for something she didn't do. And you're the only one who can stop that".  
-"That's a nice story but what's it to me? Why should I help you?"  
-"My mom's well connected. She can pull strings and get you in whatever College you want. You were never the best in your class but I can get you into the College that you want. Think about it carefully and let me know what you decide". Caleb then rose from his place and left the cafe leaving Travis staring after him.  
A few days later as the hoedown dance took place, Travis came through and told Hanna the truth about her mom. Making his way back to the gas station he called Caleb and told him the name of the College where he wanted to go. A few days later right after a long night which he spent looking out for Mona, Caleb delivered to Travis his admission papers to the College he wanted to go too...

**Thank you guys for the reviews. Katie once again welcome to ff. Now I'm trying to keep this fic as canon as possible but to everyone's relief and especially my own I won't wait down what happened in the second half of season 4... though I will mention it. I'm assuming most of you saw it and/or know what happened in Ravenswood. I'm not sure how to explain Caleb's return in the show... so I might wait for some sneak peek of the 100 before I write down his return... Worry not I already have another chapter penned out in my head before that happens. as it is I hope you guys enjoy this one. Kisses, N.**


	3. Chapter 3

After a sleepless night as the girls had escaped New York and were dragged right back into one of Ali's lies, Hanna heard someone knockinng on her front door. Silently making her way to the top of the stairs she watched in silence as an aggitated Kenneth DiLaurentiss made his way inside the house. As he asked her mother to help him track down his wife, she figured it was a normal thing considering the circumstances. What she didn't expect was what Mr. DiLaurentiss told Ashley next.  
-"Is Hanna alright? How is she doing/ How is she holding out in this entire mess?" Kenneth's voice seemed to be filled with concern and an undefined emotion Making her way as close to the edge as possible without being seen Hanna listened to them talking.  
-"She's fine not that you ever cared before. What do you want, Kenneth, from her?"  
-"Jason was the one who told me she was missing. You have no idea what this past few days have been like for me. Finding oout that not only was Allison alve but that both her and Hanna were missing. Both my daugthers were missing". Hanna froze as she heard that, she silently remained on the same spot and listened to what was being discussed below her.  
-"Lower your voice. She might hear you and I will have none of that."  
-"Why not? Don't you think maybe now is the time for her to know the truth? Maybe it's time to let her know I'm..."  
-"that you're what? The man that refused to believe he was her father? The same man that refused to take responsability? I'm not letting you do this to her. You are not going to ruin her life over some guilty family conscience trip. She deserves better than this. Tom the man that raised her as his own despite knowing the truth deserves better. I'm not going to let you mess up my child's life the way you screwed up Jason and Alison's lives". Ashley settled her coffee on the table facing the man in front of her. For all the years they've known each other it was the first time he actually came and threatened to hurt her child by revealing something Hanna could go on not knowing. And when her baby's life and well care was at stake Ashley sacrificed nothing to protecting her.  
Hanna had decided she had heard enough. Wiping away the tears she hadn't even realized that had been falling on her cheeks she made her way to the kitchen.  
-"Mr. D.? What brings you here? Shouldn't you be at home with Allison?" Hanna stared at the man in front of her, her face frozen inside an emotionless mask.  
-"Hello, Hanna. How are you feeling? Did you manage to get some sleep? I came here because I had somethings to talk to your mother about. I also wanted to apologise for the way I behaved the last time we saw one another."  
-"Apologies accepted. If you don't mind we were just about to start in breakfast and I'm sure you'd rather be at home and eat it with your own children, so if you don't mind me asking you to leave? we both have had a few hard days and I have to call my dad and convince him not to return from his bussiness trip to Australia just to check on me".  
Ashley realised as she read the sarcasm in her child's voice, that she probably had heard her conversation with Kenneth. Cursing herself she went to open the front door to escort him out. After he left, she returned to the kitchen to face Hanna, only to find her stare at the basement door. It pained Ashley to know that despite the time that had passed it was Caleb that her daugther would go running to if she could. It was him the person whom she would chose to confide in and not her. And indeed Hanna contemplated the basement door silently whishing she'd have a way of going back to the time when Caleb lived there with them and everything was so much simpler.  
-"I heard you guys talking, but I'm not ready to talk about it. Later, OK?" Ashley tiredly nodded her head, knowing she wouldn't be able to face this argument with Hanna right now either. After breakfast, Hanna went to her room. Opening her laptop she wrote Caleb an e-mail letting him know of the latest events, that had happened. She didn't send it as she felt tears once more coming down her face, instead she picked up her phone and called Spencer asking her to come over. Spencer did so after she left Emily with Allison. Making her way through the Marin house as she was greeted by what she assumed was a still shocked Ashley over the events of the past few days, Spencer was greeted by the sight of Hanna crying her eyes out, holding a pink teddy bear Caleb had bought her after his first visit to Montecito. Silently wondering just what could've happened to her friend. Sitting down by her side on the bed Spencer silently carresed Hanna's hair in a comforting touch. Hanna laid on the bed hugging the stuffed teddy bear with one hand as she kept her other one firmly holding Spencer's.  
-"Han' What's going on? Why are you crying? Did you argue with your mom or something? Did something happen?" Spencer wisely chose not to pinpoint Hanna's attention on the fact she was hugging a gift from her ex so closely, instead she made a mental note to herself to give Caleb a phone call later that day and give him an earfull.  
-"Kenneth DiLaurentiss is my father". And with those 5 words Spencer froze in silence, trying to wrap her mind around what Hanna had just told her. "No one knows at this point besides my parents and mr.D and you. Not even Allison or Jason are aware about it. You can't tell anyone anything about this, Spencer. Please, you can't". Hanna's voice sounded so broken it ripped not only Spencer's heart but also Ashley who had been silently listening outside Hanna's room worried about how she was holding out. Spencer's arms wrapped around Hanna and held her tight as she sat with her head on her lap crying. Spencer held her until she felt Hanna fall asleep. She waited until she was sure she was sound asleep and then she dialed a number on her phone. When a grumpy "Hey,Spencer", was heard on the phone she headed out to Hanna's bathroom.  
-"Caleb Rivers, you better get your fucking ass here as soon as you can. Hanna's in trouble. And if you're not here to stop her, she'll loose it completely. She needs you. I don't know what's going on between the two of you but if you care about her... still care about her than you better get back here. Otherwise so help me god I'm gonna track you down, beat you senseless and bring you back here myself". Talking on a silent tone of voice, Spencer got out of Hanna's bedroom, running into Ashley Marin who watched her amused as she threatened her best friend's ex-boyfriend on her way to the front of the house. Ashley's smile fell as she realised Hanna had probably told Spencer what was going on. She watched as Spencer spoke with Caleb on the phone slowly debating whether she should tell him the whole truth or just let Hanna reveal it to him once he returned home. For in Ashley's head it was clear that if Hanna really needed him to be there with her, than that's where he would be. Spencer finished her phone call satisfied that Caleb had promised to come back to Rosewood as soon as he managed to end some of his loose ends back in Ravenswood. In the meanwhile a silent agreement took place between the two that Spencer would watch out over Hanna making sure that she wouldn't do anything majorly stupid until Caleb's return. Spencer had omitted to tell Caleb anything about Travis knowing Hanna was not over Caleb yet and that they probably would have to sort things out on their own. She simply let him know Allison was alive while Mrs. D was suddenly missing. She figured anything else it was something Hanna should decide whether to reveal to Caleb or not. Making her way back to Hanna's room she sat by on the bed beside her waiting for her friend to wake up and silently whishing when she did she would be in a better mood, because Spencer had some news of her own to tell Hanna regarding Jason's weird actions the previous evening...

**Thank you so much about your reviews on the previous chapter.I finally managed to write a more decent sized one... so... I want you guys to tell me what you think of the unexpected news Hanna received? Also no one said a word about the bromance scene between Caleb and Lucas, was it ok? should I write more scenes between them? Though you should keep in mind I'm trying to write down a fic with healthy doses of Spanna-Spaleb-Taleb friendhip bonding scenes, and while I'm not as big fan of Spoby as I am of Haleb I will try to write more stuff about them here as well. Let me what you guys think Katie here's my question to you... were you expecting any of these things to happen? I'm also trying to remain as canon as possible despite the big twist in this chapter. So guys hit the review button below and tell me what you think. Kisses N.**


	4. Chapter 4

Spencer waited until Hanna woke up silently watching her sleep as her mind circled the idea that her own brother had been responsable for everything that had happened in the past two years. And yet a part of her refused to believe that Jason really was the person behind everything, that he'd been helping Mrs. D. torture the girls for so long.

As Hanna started to awake, Spencer gave a small sigh of relief, hoping that her presence there had somewhat managed to help her friend calm down. Then again this was Hanna and she always managed to surprise everyone around her with her reactions. After Hanna woke up the two girls sat down in silence staring at the ceiling. Spencer eventually told Hanna about the conversation she and Emily had with Allison. Hanna sighed turning her hea to look back at Spencer.

_-"You know this doesn't look good for Jason. We know he's been hiding something for a while now, and if Mrs. D was protecting someone after that night he definitely looks like the number one choice. And i want to blame him and hope he really is the behind this entire mess... but we've been proven wrong before, about so many different things, about so many different persons, that i really don't want to rush into this. Let's just wait out for a while and see how things go from here. And in the meanwhile keep an eye out on Aria. She must be going through hell right now". _

The two girls felt helpless at the idea of how to help Aria, because neither of them knew how to understand what she was going through. Not even Spencer could relate to the idea of having killed someone despite having spent the last week going through hell believing she had attacked Allison with a shovel...  
-"_I need to go home before my mom sends a search party after me. Will you be ok?"_ Hanna nodded her head raising herself from the bed.  
-" _I won't do anything stupid. I'll just take a shower and then try and get some decent rest. It's been far to long since I managed to do so. Go home, Spencer. Your mom can be very scary sometimes._" The two girls hugged each other as Hanna walked Spencer out the door.

Hanna sighed before she closed the door, noting her mother had left her a note mentioning she had been called in at work, and that she'd be home as soon as possible. Making her way up the stairs Hanna opened her closet door and picking up a sealed box she got one of Caleb's old T-shirts out from it.

Taking a towel and making her way to the bathroom, Hanna hopped inside it and then she let another set of tears run down her face. She wasn't crying just for the latest mess she'd walked into, she was crying for everything she'd lost already. Mona, Caleb, her mom going to jail and now her dad. Hanna sat inside the shower letting water wash over her until she felt numb and all she had no more tears to cry.

Getting dressed and making her way out she heard a knock on the front door. Carefully making her way downstairs she opened it only to find a file had been left in front of her door. Frowning she picked it up before she returned inside the house. she took a final look around and see who might've left her the file and then she closed the door. She headed up the stairs and placed the file inside her night stand. Taking her laptop she put on her head phones and decided to listen to some music as she tried to do her pile of homework.

A tired Spencer made her way inside her house hpoing and praying her mom would refrain from questioning her again about Allison. As she made her way inside she hear her mom talk to a familiar male voice. Millions of thougths running inside her head as her heart was suddenly effulged into a fluffy feeling as she made her way inside the room and saw her mother talking to Toby.  
-"_Milk is good_". As Veronica Hastings noticed her daugther pass her boyfriend's shoulder she gave them both an indulgent smile. Toby turned as he noticed her smile to see Spencer standing in the door completely enthralled by his presence. He quickly made his way to her and wrapped his arms around her in a close hug.  
-"_Hy. When did you get back?_" Spencer's happy voice took away all the doubts that had been plaguing Toby's mind fron the moment Veronica had called him to let him know that not only was Spencer missing but that Allison was alive.  
-"_Late last night... this morning... I don't know I think I had dinner on two continents_". As he slowly released her he turned to watch her mother as he heard Spencer's question

-"_Why didn't you call me?_" Spencer was unbelievably relieved to see him sitting inside her house once more. She had truly feared that her drugg addiction had caused him to really walk out on her.

-"_I don't know. I thought I'd come by and see you_". Toby gave Veronica a nervous glance before he turned to face Spencer.

-"_Why? What's going on?_" Spencer felt worried of all the glances going on back and forth between her mother and her boyfriend.

-"_Melissa told your father and I that she'd saw Toby in London, and that's why she'd rushed back, but apparently that never happened._"

-"_What?_"Spencer's one word question explained her entire confusion.

-"_I went to her place, Wren answered the door. He said he was staying there and that she wasn't in London anymore_". Spencer stared at him surprised by what she was hearing.

-"_This doesn't make sense_".Veronica's voice expressed the same type of astonishement Spencer felt.

-"_Well if you want you can call him_". Toby understood why they would need more proofs into believing him.

-"_Wren? Please i'd rather stick a knife in the toaster. I have a client to meet in town, you on the other hand are staying close to home. Is that clear?_"

-"_Yes_". Spencer couldn't have been more happy at the idea of being just her and Toby for a few hours as they finally managed to talk things through. After her mom walked out the door, Spencer finally removed her coat from her and turned to face Toby. "_Why did you go to London?_" She finally asked him the question that was sitting in the back of her head ever since she had been given the envelope from him with the London stamp.

-"_I wanted some answers for you. I figured that if i can get your sister to look me in the eye and tell me something_".

-"_Something thruthfull_?"Spencer's tired voice asked him as he realised how absurd his idea had been.

-"_Do you know about_...?"

-"_Allison? Yeah. I heard some pretty weird stuff but i'd rather hear them from you_".And so Spencer told him. She told him everything she knew, everything that had happened ever since her and the girls had returned from Ravenswood. She however kept to herself the part about Aria killing really didn't want to get Toby involved in that can of worms.

Hours later as they laid inside her bed wrapped in the sheets facing each other Spencer sighed as she remembered what Hanna was going through. Toby sensed that something really important was troubling her and watched her in silence trying to figure out a way of asking her about it.

-"_I need you to hlep with something. Hanna's going through something really life shattering and Caleb's the only to ever have been able to keep her safe and get through tough times. I called him today and asked him to come home to Rosewood... more like I bitched at him and threatened the poor guy. Anyway he's going to return in about as week and I was sort of hoping that he could stay over with you until he sorts things out with Hanna and finds a place to stay_".

-"_Do you think it's wise to do this behind Hanna's back? What if it backfires and destroys their relationship completely_?"

-"_I know I shouldn't get myself involved in the middle of it all, but she's Hanna and if he didn't cared about her anymore there's no way in this Earth or the next one that Caleb would've answered my call, I don't knwo what's wrong between them But I know them. They have a good healthy relationship and there's now way that if they did talk things through that they wouldn't get back together. They survived too much to actually fall out of love over 60 miles distance between here and Ravenswood. There's something else going on there and they can only sort it out by talking things through. That's why I asked him to come back_". Toby closed his eyes before he considered what she'd told him.

-"_As far as I'm concerned he can move in with me on a permanent basis. I'm just not sure you'd be able to survive for both their sakes I hope you are right and that this won't turn out to be a bad idea_". Spencer raised her head to kiss him once she heard him finish talking.

As the day finished Hanna spent the night over at Spencer's place after Mrs. D's body was found. They had all been hit by her unexpected death like ligthing because everyone of the girls had assumed that once Allison would meet with her mom and she'd get her answers that everything would be over and that they'd finally be able to lay all the ghosts to rest. As the two girls sat on Spencer's bed that night in slience, neither of them being able to sleep, their hands entwined an uneasy feeling that things were far from over settled in inside their hearts. It literally felt as if the calm before the storm...

**Ok so I know this is more of an Spoby chapter rather than a haleb one but if I'm going to do more of the pairings I mentioned in my last one then I really need to write more Spoby as well. Treanne I know you wanted Caleb to be back in this chapter, believe I am trying to get him home as soon as possible but I'm really trying to keep this as canon as possible that's why for now I'm not getting him back. Also to the anon whose heart I hurt with the basement door... the shower scene in this chapter was inspired by your review... I hope you liked it. Feyhazelle I honestly hope they don't make Hanna as Ali's sister in the show. I really think that for now she has her hands full. And I'm not sure I'd wish anyone else but Mona to truly be Alis's sister... they really would deserve to be related...Katie what do you think of the Spanna scenes? Now hopefully I have managed to answer most of your questions. If any of you still has them feel free to ask. As you guys know I'm open to questions and reviews. Kisses, N.**


	5. Chapter 5

As the girls made their way to the DiLaurentiss house, Hanna tried to keep herself together. Spencer felt herself be divided between Hanna, Allison and Jason. Having seen his face when they found his mother's body she had spent the night being plagued by that image. As the girls entered the house they were greeted by their friends. Hanna noticed that while both Jason and Kenneth DiLaurentiss were there to greet them Allison had yet to come down stairs. She silently headed up the stairs to check upon her, wondering in what state of mind she would find her.

-"_Do you want me to help you to get dressed?_" Hanna awkwardly asked as she sat in the door way watching a destroyed Allison as she was trying to pick herself together.  
-"_No. Do you think that there'll be a lot of people at the funeral?_" Allison asked her as she studied a black dress the girls had helped pick out for her.

-"_I don't know_". Hanna told her honestly as she kept her hands together silently refraining herself from going over to her and give her a comforting hug.

-"_You can go downstairs. I'll be there in a minute_". Allison told her in a broken voice as she turned around to watch her,  
-"_Okay_". Hanna left the room not knowing what else to do. She headed down stairs where the girls were waiting for them both.

-"_How is she?_" The girls asked her worry written on their faces.

-"_She's going to her mom's funeral_... " Hanna answered them uncomfortably as her mind started drifting away from the conversation happening in front of her. Hanna listened absently as the girls silently argued about Jason being the one who killed Mrs. D.

When Allison finally made her way down stairs the girls were all surprised to see that she was wearing a different dress than the one they had been expecting. They all sat quietly and looked on as Kenneth freked out over the dress Allison had picked out from her mother's closet. As he furiosly made his way out of the room followed by Jason, Allison turned to face the girls, tears gathering in her eyes once more.

-"_I just wanted to wear something of hers. Why is he so angry_?"

-"_Ali, your mom wore that dress_". Spencer softly tried to explain to her.

-"_I know_". Allison answered in a confused voice.

-"_She wore it to your funeral_". Spencer finished explaining. Her voice bringing an air of coldness inside the room. The girls then made their way out of the room and out of the house. Hanna's hand resting comfortably on Allison's back as they walked away.

Hanna felt like both running away as fast as possible from everything while she also wanted to be there for Allison and help her. She managed to keep herself together as she felt the focus should be on Allison and helping her get over her mother's death. As she and Spencer made their way home inside Spencer's car, Hanna sigher, before she turned to face her friend.

-"_Please tell me, you're having just as a hard time going through this mess as I am. I mean I want to both be there for Ali and help her deal with this, but I really want to be as far away from this mess as possible_".

-"_I know what you mean. Allison already made us all go through hoops. If she finds out you two are related... Let's just say I drew the lucky straw when it comes to being related to that family_".

-"_I just don't know how to deal with this whole mess, Spencer_". Hanna confessed to her friend as they reached her back yard and made their way to the chairs on her terrace. They sat there in silence for a minute before Spencer finally spoke.

-"_I think you should talk to your mother. You and I know both know how hard it is to keep a secret in this town. You were always close to your mom. don't let this come between the two of you. Talk to her. Find out what really happened before you do anything else. You owe it to yourself to do this_".

-"_I just feel that if I do this. If I ask my mom about it, I'll cross a line and reach a point of no return. Once you learn something you can't erase it from your mind or unknow it. I want answers but when i'll ask about them I'll have to face the fact that she's my sister and that's something I'll never be able to remove from my head._" Spencer put her hand on Hanna's in a small simple gesture.

-"_Han' no matter what happens you have me right here with you. At the end of the day when push comes to shove you are my sister, in a way that Melissa never will be. So, no matter what you decide to do, I'll be here to help you go through it all, no questions asked_". Spencer then raised herself from her chair and headed out towards her house.

**Ok So I get that a lot of you had problems with my editing as such I reposted the last chapter today after going through it once more. Anon, I don't know what's your name, believe me I was seconds away from making Caleb magically appear and hop inside the shower with Hanna... unfortunately I can't let that happen yet... AuthorABC123 than you for the constructive review, and for pinpointing out the need for shorter paragraphs, i'll keep your offer in my mind. Katie we're down to almost 10 days until Caleb returns which feels so great and I can barely wait for it to happen. I plan to have Hanna talk to Ashley about her connection to allison in one of the next to chapters so that by the time Caleb returns we finally start dealing with the whole drama known as Hanna's identity crisis. Also if everything turns out ok I'll post the new chapter of 'Protection' tomorrow. Hope to hear soon from you all what you think. Kisses N.**


	6. Chapter 6

Caleb sat on his bed watching a small star through the window. His mind kept playing over and over the unexpected phone call he had received from Spencer Hastings a couple of days earlier. He felt frustrated by the idea of not being able to return to Rosewood quicker. The news Spencer had given him about Allison being alive and back in Rosewood had shocked him.

Caleb wondered how Hanna was dealing with Allison being back. Just how exactly was she adjusting to the idea? From what he gathered if there was someone capable of doing more damage to those around her than Mona, that person was Allison. Caleb sighed as he turned his head when he noticed Miranda enter the room; he studied her intently.

Things had gotten weird between them after the showdown with Abbadon. Caleb was aware that Miranda felt something for him, however he never cared about anyone's feelings towards him except in Hanna's case and his parents. Avoiding addressing the feelings Miranda had for him had been easy, but that didn't mean he wasn't aware of their existence. Ultimately the showdown with Abbadon had only cleared up his mind on one thing. He cared about Miranda as much as he cared about the girls, but he truly loved Hanna. It was her safety and well being that were constantly on his mind.

-"_You're going back, aren't you?_" Miranda's voice had an undefined sadness hidden inside it.

-"_I have to because Hanna needs me and despite everything, she's my only priority. She always has been and you've always known that, Miranda. You can't say I hid it_". An uncomfortable silence fell between them as they both faced the connection between them and discussed it.

-"_I guess I had hoped you would eventually move on from loving her and start thinking of this place as your true home_". Miranda finally looked at him. Caleb closed his eyes before he finally answered her.

-"_Hanna is the only knowledge I have of the word. I spent years being alone even if I was surrounded by people. And when I met Hanna my world changed for the better. It filled with friends, with memories and with family, gradually the emptiness inside me 's why I have to go. I owe it to her to be there if she needs me, even if she probably won't speak to me for the rest of my life_".

Miranda's face softened as she watched him. She knew what it meant to love someone like that. She had learned it from them both. Sighing she walked away from the room. Caleb didn't move an inch to stop her and resumed gazing out the window.

-"_Caleb, I hope you both manage to find your way back to each other and be happy. Goodbye_". As Miranda left the room, Caleb felt relief fill him as he had managed to sort out this mess finally. Soon after that he heard a loud beating against the door. Making his way over to it, he opened it, only to stare at Toby.

-"_You make the shittiest friend possible. You don't write, you don't call... What the hell, dude?_" As Caleb made a move to let him inside his room, Toby gave him a slow pat on his shoulder. "_Come on, I'm here to help you start packing and get ready to move back home_".

-"_Spencer._..?" Caleb asked as understanding dawned on his face.

-"_She told me you were coming back, and she might've suggested you stay with me until you get your own place, but me coming here... That's my own idea. That way I can put you up to speed to what you've been missing so far and help you get ready for meeting , the 'hive queen', Allison_".

Toby told him everything he had learned from Spencer about what the girls had gone through from the moment they left Ravenswood : Allison, Ezra's betrayal, Spencer's drug addiction. The one thing Toby didn't mention as they packed Caleb's stuff and talked things through was Travis. Neither of them knew anything about his relationship with Hanna.

They made their way to Caleb's car that Toby finally had brought back to him. Once Caleb brought his final box out and put it inside his car he noticed his friends had gathered and were silently waiting for him so that they would say their goodbyes. Miranda silently watched from the side way as they did so. Once he said his goodbyes, she silently turned on her feet, and walking back inside her uncle's house, she went to his study. She sat down on a chair and covered her face as she cried away after she saw Caleb leave Ravenswood for good...


	7. Chapter 7

Once the girls made their way back to school and started getting used to being a "freak show" for the rest of their classmates, Hanna managed to avoid getting into "that" conversation with her mom. She realized however, that it was becoming increasingly difficult to do so. Allison wanted her leadership role back and to "control" their group once more. People kept staring and asking questions, and Hanna had now way of escaping reality anymore.

She tried hanging out with the girls and Travis, but she wasn't foolish enough to lie to herself about what was missing from her life: Caleb. Walking through the school dance, after she and Travis had run into Lucas, Hanna sighed. She wanted to find a place to go and hide from the rest of the world. She was sick and tired of constantly pretending everything was alright. She walked around aimlessly, not even realizing where she was, and she came to a halt as she stopped in front of the Brew.

Realizing she had actually walked out on Travis, without any type of actual explanation, Hanna decided to get a cup of coffee, before she let Travis know where she was. Hanna made her way to the counter and asked for a skinny late. As she took out her money to pay, someone else put the money on the counter and a familiar voice, a very familiar voice, told her:

-"It's on me". Turning around, Hanna came face to face with Caleb, and the world suddenly stopped spinning. She softly managed to whisper his name:  
-"Caleb". Everything became too much all of the sudden and she felt faint. Caleb grabbed her quickly as her coffee spilled on the ground. Taking her in his arms, Caleb helped her sit down on one of the Brew's couches. As Hanna turned her head away to watch him, she literally couldn't stop herself from shaking. Caleb sat there in silence, his hand softly brushing away a lock of hair from her face. Hanna closed her eyes, taking in his scent. He held her hand in his reassuringly until he felt her shaking stop and she finally managed to sit up and face him, their eyes never leaving each other. 


	8. Chapter 8

-"I'm so sorry. I should've called first and let you know of my return, but I wanted to surprise you". Caleb studied Hanna closely. Fighting back the urge to lean in and kiss her troubles away, he waited for her to give him a sign on how she felt.

-"I'm surprised, but... but why are you here? I don't get it. What's going on?" Hanna kept her eyes on his as they talked. Emotions were running so high that she barely managed to contain and hide from him.

-"I came back home. I finally managed to sort things out with Miranda. I came back because I missed you too much, because I want us to get back together". Caleb debated if she should know about Spencer's call, but as he heard her answer, he knew he should keep things from her for a while longer, at least until he spoke to Spencer.

-"Caleb, that's not possible anymore. I... I started seeing someone after I came back from Ravenswood the last time". Hanna shifted nervously on her seat, avoiding Caleb's eyes for the first time since she ran into him. Seeing his face as she told him this had nearly been her undoing as it hurt so much.

Caleb froze as he heard her. She had basically taken away from him the only thing that had kept him sane for the past few weeks. His hope of coming back home to her seemed to have shattered in a matter of seconds.

However, as this was something he had talked to Toby about on his way to Rosewood, he refrained from blaming Hanna. She acted out like that because of him. He had no right to judge her. As he studied her face, he noticed she had lost weight as well not just a hair style change. There were dark circles under her eyes that told him there was something wrong with her, something that kept her from being happy.

With A gone, why wasn't she ok? Why did she lack her sleep? Caleb started worrying as he realized Spencer had some serious reasons to have called him and ask him to come back to Rosewood.

-"Han'. It's ok. I won't judge your choice nor do I blame you, but I want you to know I should let you know I'm not going anywhere anymore and that I'm not giving up on you either". He helped her get up on her feet and they both walked to the door, his hand never leaving her lower back, and just as the door opened, Travis and Allison walked in. Surprise appeared on both the boys faces' as they watched each other, while Allison carefully studied the boy she knew had been Hanna's boyfriend.

-"God, why don't you just kill me now?" Hanna muttered under her breath, as she saw excitement and interest appear in Ali's eyes and Travis carefully studied the scene before him. Caleb having heard Hanna's words, quickly concluded that Travis was the boy she was currently dating. He refrained from saying anything in front of Hanna about how he knew Travis, but as he watched the other boy shift nervously on his feet, he realized Hanna had no idea of their pact yet.. Placing a short kiss on Hanna's head, Caleb excused himself and walked out of the Brew. Hanna's eyes never left his body as he walked away. Sighing, she turned around to face Travis as Allison watched what was going on with interest...

Hello everyone. Sorry I haven't answered any of your reviews for the past chapters. I got so caught up with stuff lately I barely had time to breathe... let alone write or read anything. Also I'm amazed because so many people have taken the time to read the fiction, follow it or review it. You guys always make my day when you do this. Anyway thank you Katie for agreeing to beta read my fic and taking the time into analyzing what I write. Your help is priceless. I know I'm not sticking to the episode storyline anymore but waiting for new Caleb scenes is too much so in the end this fic will be a little AU after all. Anyway thank you to everyone for your reviews. Let me know what you guys think. N 


	9. Chapter 9

I watched Caleb walk away, my heart beating madly, the pain of it all killyng me inside. Why did you have to come back, Caleb? Why now? Must everything in my life be so twisted and dark? Don't I deserve any happiness? I can't wrap my head around the fact that you're back. YOU'RE BACK, I keep yelling inside my head, back here, in Rosewood, once again.

As understanding finally settles in, I manage to return back to reality. I had been so caught up in my world I forgot that Travis and Allison are standing beside me, both of them questioning me with their eyes.

Suddenly I realize I have no way of explaining any of this to Travis because seriously, how the hell am I supposed to explain any of this to anyone else when I barely manage to understand it myself? I sigh as I turn around to face Travis.

For once I am surprised to see Ali walk away from the drama. She walked out of the Brew with a small nod of her head. As much as I'm grateful for the privacy I was given, I can't help but notice that she was heading in the same direction as my head, I turn my attention back to Travis.

-"What's your ex doing here, Hanna? What does Caleb want?" I must confess that I admire Travis for being so blunt and not beating around the bush when it comes to asking me this.

-"He came back to Rosewood. We ran into each other earlier here at the Brew, and he told me he was back for good". I didn't add the part where he told me he wasn't giving up on me, nor did I have to. Travis studied my face for a moment before asking me a question I literally no idea on how to respond to.

-"And what does this mean? Do you want to go back to him?" It was a fair question, given the circumstances, that made me things over once more. I had spent weeks crying myself to sleep because the pain of loosing Caleb was too much for me. And now that he was back... Was I willing to go back to whom I was before, to the person I was when I dated Caleb? Should I try to do so? Would it be enough to start over once more?

-"I don't know how to answer this, Travis. He's a huge part of my life and I still care about him, but I am dating you. He knows this and as far as I'm concerned, it's not fair on my behalf to act this way towards you. You do deserve better than to be treated like this so, for the moment, I'll try my best to make things work between us".

Travis' face filled with relief as I finished talking. As he took me gently by my hand and walked with me towards my home, I felt my heart tighten because it was not his hand I wanted to hold mine, nor was his scent the one I wanted to wrap myself up in. When we reached my house, I turned my head away when he tried to kiss me, making him kiss my cheek.

-"I'm sorry, Travis. It's been a long night". He calmly nodded his head, his eyes shadowed by an emotion I couldn't quite understand. As he walked away, I turned around and walked inside my house, closing the door behind me. I sighed as I leaned against it mentally and emotionally exhausted. I then made my way to the kitchen and saw Spencer waiting for me there.

-"Caleb is back". I managed to tell her this before I broke down and put my head against her shoulderletting my tears fall down freely.

Spencer's hands wrapped around me, supporting me and holding me tight against her. As I let my emotions run their course before I'm finally to calm down. When I raised my face to look at Spencer, I saw a strange expression on her face.

-"You knew he came back and didn't tell me?" I ask her softly.

-"He's staying with Toby until he finds a place to live". I start to choke as I hear what she just told me.

-"Well fuck me. What have I done to deserve something like this"? I groan.

-"No thank you. I'm not Emily and you're not my type. I don't dig blondes". As Spencer answered me we start laughing so hard we both end up on the floor. My mom finds us there half an hour later as she came back from work." 


	10. Chapter 10

Caleb had noticed that Allison tried to follow him after he left the Brew, but he managed to avoid her and she eventually headed towards her own place, leaving Caleb to wait for Hanna's return home. He patiently waited in the shadows of her house until he finally saw her and Travis arrive. He watched as Hanna turned her head away from Travis's kiss. Once he saw Hanna was safe inside her house, he turned around and headed towards Toby's place. He decided to stop by Travis's house on the way there. Once he arrived, he noticed Travis was already waiting for him on the porch.

The pair watched each other, a cold silence falling between them. Travis shifted on his feet, feeling intimidated by Caleb's cold and emotionless stare. He felt his blood freeze as Caleb continued to study him and eventually told him:

-"As far as I'm concerned the only person I care about in this moment is Hanna". Travis snorted when he heard that, but waited for Caleb to finish talking. "You probably know some of the stuff that led to our break up... or maybe you don't. I really don't care about that. All you need to know is I will fight for her and I will do my best to get her back".

-"And you honestly expect me to do nothing about this? Or better yet, you really believe she'll go back to you so easily? That she'll get you back after everything that happened?" Travis' voice was filled with venom as he spoke, making Caleb's stomach clench, but as he studied Travis closely, it became clear to Caleb things were definitely working in his favor because Travis clearly felt threatened by the idea of his return.

-"That may be so but let me ask you something. Have you actually bothered telling Hanna the truth about why her mom is out of jail? Does Hanna know anything about that?" It was Caleb's turn to snort in amusement as he watched Travis shift on his feet once more, clearly uncomfortable at the idea of Hanna learning that particular story.

If Caleb was the one to tell Hanna the truth, Caleb would probably win her back instantly. If, however, Travis was the one to tell Hanna about it, while she might not return to Caleb's arms, he would still win some of her trust back, while Travis' image would be shattered.

Caleb crossed his arms together as he waited for Travis to speak. The answer was clear, but Caleb refrained from judging the man in front of him. If there was something Ravenswood taught him it was the fact that life was filled with all sorts of shades. Things weren't always black or white.

-"Don't worry so much. I won't be the one to tell Hanna about this. My only concern right now is seeing her be happy, but rest assured I'm doing this for her, not you. Also, you should probably realize that in this town, secrets always come off. Other than that all bets are off".

Travis studied the young man in front of him and a slight respect for Caleb grew inside him. The person who cared that much about Hanna, clearly would be a though competition to beat, and there's also the fact that him and Hanna shared a past together. But even so Travis refused to give her up, unless she told him otherwise.

Caleb then headed back to his car. Once inside, he finally unclenched his fists. He had wanted to hit Travis, but refrained. He realized that doing so would only end up harming Hanna in the long run so he decided against acting stupid. Finally getting his temper under control, Caleb started his car and drove to Toby's place. Silently making his way inside, he noticed his friend was just about to order something to eat.

-"I need a painkiller. Hanna's got a boyfriend and I have a headache. I know the guy. He's decent for the most part, but there's more to him than meets the eye".

-"Hanna has a new boyfriend? Since when? And just what are you going to do now? I mean, I know you were aware of the possibility of such a thing happening but still..." Toby studied his friend, not knowing what to say to him.

-"I'm going to fight for her. I'm not giving up on the one person who makes sense in my life". Caleb's determined voice reminded Toby of the nights they had spent trying to help the girls figure out things related to 'A'.

-"Well I'm rooting for you and clearly, so is Spencer, otherwise I doubt she would've called you back now that Hanna's with someone else, no matter what's happening in in Hanna's life. Those two are as thick as they come".

-"Don't remind me. Right now I feel like wringing her neck for not telling me anything about this". Caleb's amused voice changed the seriousness of what he had just said.

-"Do that and I'll kill you and then you won't be able to get Hanna back". Toby's relaxed voice from across the room made Caleb smile as a silent understanding passed between the two. No one hurt their girls under any circumstances.

-"Well darn. You certainly know how to spoil my fun", he pouted, watching Toby place his phone down. "What's up with you? Who hit your puppy?"

-"Jenna's back from New York. She knows that Shanna was killed. She told me earlier that she wants to see the killer pay for that".

-"Oh crap... Fuck... What do the girls think about this? Are they ok?"

-"No and I doubt things will go smoothly from here on..." The pair contemplated in silence everything that was going on around them... 


	11. Chapter 11

Hanna and Spencer had eventually managed to make their way from the kitchen to Hanna's room. Hanna wondered why Spencer had been there waiting for her in the first place.

-`Spencer don' t take this the wrong way, but why are you here? Is everything alright?`

-`My parents are getting a divorce. My mom told me this earlier when she picked me up from school were the first person to cross my mind because I know how difficult it was for you when your parents divorced`.

Hanna's heart broke for her friend. She hugged Spencer, silently trying to comfort her so she would temporarily forget about her pain. Hanna watched in silence as Spencer lied to Ashley Marin about the reason for her sudden visit to their house. She then resumed hugging and comforting her friend.

Hanna and Spencer woke up the next morning feeling tired because they had spent the previous night whispering and laughing. Hanna hoped she had managed to alleviate a little of Spencer's pain, while Spencer tried her best to keep Hanna's mind off her own problems.

After school that day, Hanna made her way to Tom's office. Once his assistant let her inside and closed the door, Hanna turned around to face the man who had raised her . She needed answers and this was the best place to start getting them. As Tom Marin raised his eyes from his papers to face her, he sighed as he noticed the determined look on her face.

-'Hanna? What's wrong? Why are you here?' Confusion filled his voice because he knew that she seldom came to visit him let alone interrupt him while he was at his office working.

-'I know the truth about Kenneth DiLaurentis... about him being my biological father. Why did you and mom lie to me? Did you think that this would make things easier for me? Were you ever planning on telling me the truth?' With each question she asked, Hanna felt her soul break a little more. This was the man she had grown up believing was her dad, he was also the same person who had walked away from her and her mother, abandoning them both.

-'Ashley and I had been trying to have a child for years. We went to doctors, we did treatments, but nothing worked. By the time your mother got pregnant, we had been ready to call it quits. When you were born and I held you in my arms, it felt like the biggest achievement of my life'.

Tom got up from his chair and called for his P.A. to bring him a whiskey and a latte, and to cancel his appointments for the day. Once the drinks arrived and the door closed once more, Tom took his glass, walked towards the back of the room, and stared out the window.

-'When you had the appendicitis surgery a few years ago you needed a blood transfusion. Your mom was out of town at the time and that's when I found out the truth'. Hanna as she remembered that her surgery happened a few months before her dad started seeing Isobel. Lifting her head to look at her dad, she studied his face in search of answers she feared she already knew.

-'Is that why you started dating Isobel? Because mom cheated on you and I'm not your daughter? Am I the reason behind your divorce? ' Hanna saw shock appear on Tom's face as he took in her questions.

-'Hanna, I may not be related through you by blood, but you'll always be my beautiful baby girl. I may not be the best dad around but you'll always be the baby girl I once held in my arms after she was born. Ashley and I had our own problems going on that you knew nothing about, but you were never a part of our reasons for are the most precious gift I ever received and nothing changes that'.

Hanna got up from her seat and headed to Tom, and hugged him. It was the first time since the divorce that Hanna felt she reached a point where she could learn to trust him again and try and fix their relationship. Tom held her in his arms as they both watched the city through the window in a comfortable silence. Sometime later, after Hanna left Tom's office, she started searching for Caleb. Her first choice was the swing area of the park where they usually went when they had been together.

Once she got there, she spotted him sitting in the swings with a six pack of beer. She silently went over to him and sat down on the swing beside him. Taking a beer for herself, she opened it and took a sip staring off into space.

When Caleb looked at her with a questioning frown, she sighed and turned to face him. It was the first time since she told him about 'A' that she felt like she couldn't tell him the truth about what was going on with her. But as she mused to herself, she felt his hand on her shoulder, gently squeezing it in a comforting way before caressing her neck. Closing her eyes she let her worries go away and once she opened them she decided to let him know what was going on with her.

-'Tom Marin is not my father. Allison's dad is. She's my half-sister'. Hanna finally whispered to him the words that had been haunting her for days. Caleb didn't say anything,but figured this was the reason why Spencer asked him to come back to Rosewood.

Caleb took her hand and held it against his leg. His heart broke as he noticed the pain and sadness written on Hanna's face. He wished he could take her pain away.

-'Hanna, how can I help you? What do you want me to do?' Hanna let him continue to hold her hand and rub her neck, the small gestures bringing her more comfort than all the efforts Spencer had made to cheer her up.

-'I don't know how to answer that because lately I don't know who I am anymore. Too much has changed in the past month. You and I broke up. Allison is back from the dead. I've got a new dad and a new boyfriend. The only thing I'm grateful is the fact that A is finally gone but I'm at my limit here and I really don't know how to deal with everything going on around me'. Hanna told him everything she had kept inside her ever since they had parted ways in Ravenswood.

Caleb listened to her in silence, realizing why she seemed to be constantly tired lately. Setting himself on his knees, between her legs, he gently gazed at her with a soft smile in his eyes.

-'I'm not going anywhere Han and I'm not letting you deal with this on your own. I owe it to the person who taught me to face my problems and not run away from them. I owe it to the person who gave me a family and taught me the meaning of the word home'. He squeezed her hand, silently telling her her that he meant every word. The comfortable silence between them was interrupted by the ringing of both their phones. They both checked their messages and simultaneously groaned.

-'It's Spencer. She called me to a meeting at Emily's place. It's an S.O.S message'.

-'Same here, it's a text from Toby. Come on, let's go'. Caleb took her by the hand as they walked to Emily's place. Once they made their way inside they noticed everyone was there waiting for them. Caleb felt Emily and Aria's surprised stares at seeing him, while Allison threw him an annoyed look. He made his way behind Hanna, not bothering to give Allison a second look.

As he stopped near Hanna, he noticed how unsettled she was about the news on the TV. She extended her arm to him and he took her hand between his giving it a comforting squeeze. They all watched the Rosewood P.D. chief make a statement about the person buried inside Allison's grave.

As the announcement came to a closure they all heard an explosion that destroyed Emily's living room's windows. Reacting solely on instinct, Caleb grabbed Hanna and protected her with his body, while he noticed Toby push Spencer to the floor, as everyone ducked for cover.

Once it was over they all made their way outside the house only to be greeted by an unworldly sight. Toby's house had exploded and half the street was now covered in debris. Caleb grabbed Hanna by the hand, keeping her close to him and away from the debris. As Toby made his way towards the house and another explosion occurred, everyone's phones got a text message at the same time. Fear and worry fille the girls as they all took out their phones. Aria was the fastest one as she read the message they were all dreading had been sent to them.

-'Have you missed me bitches? -A'. Everyone frozeas they heard the words,exchanging uncomfortable glances. The girls were in shock, for they had assumed that Seanna was really the one that had tormented them for so long and she was dead now…

**Hello everyone. Did you miss me? I know I did. Thank you for all the support you guys have shown me for this fic.I've been away for a couple of weeks traveling across Europe by car. Which means my wonderful beta has had her hands full reading the next chapters. Also I wanted to let you guys know starting today I'll only update my fics or post new stuff once a week. I know a lot of you want me to remove Travis from the scene. That's what I'm currently working on. Bare with me he's not going to be around here for much longer. The talk between Momma Marin and Hanna happens in the next chapter as I know a lot of you wanted me to let them have the talk. Right now. I'm trying to find ways of using all the wonderfull new Haleb scenes to make them fit my story. For now just let me know what you guys think.  
**

**Kisses, N.**


	12. Chapter 12

After spending a few hours at the hospital with Toby and his family, Hanna finally managed to convince Spencer to head back to Emily's place with her. Spencer agreed only because Caleb promised to stay with Toby in case he needed anything. The rest of the girls were already waiting for them in Emily's room when they arrived to discuss the new 'A' threat.

Hanna stayed quiet for most of the evening before finally making her way back home. She went to her room, grateful that her mom was out of town at a business meeting, and quickly got ready for bed. After hours of staring off into space, she decided to get off from the bed and went to her closet. After rummaging through her closet for a while, she found the box that contained items that reminded her of Caleb and their relationship together. She took out the only T-shirt of his's that she'd kept and pulled it on. She returned back to her bed, wrapped in his familiar scent, and finally managed to fall asleep.

The next day, Hanna made her way to The Brew to get coffee before heading to she grabbed her coffee from the cashier, she spotted Caleb sitting at a table reading the newspaper while what appeared to be his breakfast sat on the table completely forgotten. Hanna made her way to his table clutching her coffee in her hand.

-'Hey'. As she spoke Caleb raised his head from the newspaper and studied her, concern written over his face., for he was one of the few people in Rosewood who knew just what had happened at the Cavanaugh house the previous night.

-'Hey', he greeted her back, not knowing what exactly to say to her. After a sleepless night spent talking to Toby about everything that had been going on in Rosewood, Caleb decided to let Hanna choose what they would talk about. He felt too tired to think at the moment.

-'You look as if you've got as much sleep as I did'. Hanna studied his face while she tapped her fingers on the chair in front of her.

-'I was with Toby until about an hour ago'. Caleb set the newspaper on the table and looked at Hanna.

-'How is he?' Hanna asked, her voice concerned, despite the fact that she and Toby hadn't been too close before. She worried what would happen to Spencer if she lost another person that was close to her.

-'He's still pretty shaken'. Caleb's words did nothing to ease Hanna's mind, for he too was worried about his friend.

-'God. I still don't get why A would blow up his house when we were just two doors down'. Hanna had a sudden rise of bile in her throat as she realized that it could as well have been her house, or even Emily's that blew up, while everyone was inside.

-'A doesn't shoot and miss. There has to be a reason'. Caleb's voice sounded defeated for he too had had the same thought cross his mind several times. What if it had been the Marin house to blow up? Or Emily's? 'Did you see this?'Caleb asked as he took the newspaper he had been reading and handed it to Hanna. He saw the shock appear on her face as she read the title 'Natural Gas Leak Caused Explosion'. Hanna sat down in front of him, numbed by what she saw in the newspaper.

-'Wait. That's it? They're not going to look into what caused the leak?' Hanna felt stupefied by the incompetence of the local PD, but she was also relieved to know that this probably meant that they wouldn't be able to connect what happened to her and the others.

-'The cops in this town should be riding around in clown cars'. Caleb's irritation grew as he suddenly remembered the incompetence of the PD from another town just as small as Rosewood. 'I think you guys need to tell them who's behind this'. His voice was filled with genuine concern over Hanna and the other girls' safety as the enemy they were facing was one that stopped at nothing.

-'Tell them what? We don't have a face or a name'. Hanna felt just as frustrated about the whole situation as Caleb but telling he police the truth was now impossible because they had all lied about their whereabouts regarding the night they had spent in New York and about Shanna's death. Telling the truth now would mean that all of them would have to face much more worse consequences..

-'Hanna this isn't a game. A blew up a house'. Caleb felt frustrated to see her dismiss the idea of going to the police so easily. He needed to make her understand the danger she was facing.

-'We can't. It would unravel too much'. Hanna shook her head towards him, her mind once more wandering back to New York.

-'Meaning?' Caleb realized something had happened while he was away and that that something was the reason why all the girls were all so keen on keeping A' 's existence a secret from the police.

-'Things happened while you were gone'. Hanna gently shook her head. She felt the need to tell him the truth about Shanna, but now was not the time or place.'It's not the same as when you left'. When the words left her mouth they were both suddenly reminded of the point they were at in their relationship now.

-'I noticed'. His voice held a trace of grudge and jealousy, which Hanna detected immediately

-'Caleb I had no idea when you were coming back or if you were ever going to come back at all. Not with the way you left Rosewood. Or do you want me to believe that had I not come to Ravenswood to search for Miranda, you would've eventually picked up the phone and told me she was dead?'

It was Hanna's turn to show traces of bitterness in her voice, for she truly had been hurt by the fact he had kept such a thing a secret from her. 'It's late. I should probably get to school'. Hanna used that as an excuse to avoid getting into an argument with Caleb because she never knew how they would end.

Hanna spent a tiring day at school trying to avoid people's stares and whispers and worrying about Allison's current had been surprised when said girl came to her and asked her to help her run away from Rosewood again.

After canceling her plans with Travis, who had shown up for their date, Hanna decided that it would be best for everyone if her and Allison managed to no longer be so close each other on a constant basis. Hanna later received an unexpected visit from Emily and they argued over Hanna secretly helping Allison leave town again.

Hanna once again felt that everyone around her was making a huge fuss over Allison while no one really noticed that she was going through some serious stuff as well. Hanna made her way downstairs, determined to go out and clear her head. She realized such a thing would be impossible as she noticed her mom waiting for her in the kitchen. Sighing, Hanna made her way towards her mom and sat down in one of the kitchen's chairs.

-'I think it's time we had a talk, Hanna. Tom called me earlier and told me about your unexpected visit to his office the other day. Why did you go there? I don't think you've done that in years, at least not since your father moved out of the house'. Ashley tried to find a gentle way of probing Hanna's mind, carefully wandering across the minefield that her relationship with her daughter was these days.

-'I needed answers and he was the only person capable to give them to me as he is the only other person I know that has trusted you and believed in you only for you to hurt and betray us both'.

-'Hanna', Ashley sighed as she realized she had no choice but to face what had been her greatest fear for years: letting Hanna know the truth about what had happened years ago.

Ashley had prayed that she would somehow manage to find a way to explain things to her child and knowing Hanna's explosive temper she had made her fear this moment. It was for this reason and this reason alone that Ashley was glad Spencer had called and asked Caleb to come back. He always had a calming influence on her daughter.

-'You lied to me, mom. You lied to me for years. And now I know that Ali's my sister. Do you have any idea what this is doing to me? How lost and confused I am right now? Do you even care?' Ashley went pale when she heard Hanna's words and tried to put her hand on Hanna's arm, but she moved away, grabbed a glass, and went to the fridge. She settled on apple juice before turning her attention once more to her mom.

-'I didn't mean to hurt you or Tom, Hanna. Before the I got pregnant with you, the doctors told me I was infertile and that I would never be able to have a child. When I found out the news, I was away on a business trip. That's when I met Kenneth. We had way too much to drink that night and you were the result. The next day, we agreed to never speak of of that night again. Soon after I returned home, I found out he and Jessica had moved here. This was also around the time I learned I was pregnant.

Hanna silently listened as her mom spoke, the pain inside her growing with each word she heard. She decided to let her mom finish talking before she reacted in any way.

-'I didn't know what to do at the time. Tom wanted a child so desperately and Jessica was also pregnant. I had no right to tell them the truth and ruin everyone's lives, so I decided to keep it a secret. I really wanted to protect you from the truth. I never meant to hurt you or Tom but I just couldn't find the strength to tell him the truth, not after seeing him so excited at the idea of finally having the family he wanted so much.'

Hana watched the woman in front of her and silently wondered who she was because, at this point, she literally knew nothing about her mom any more. Grabbing her car keys, Hanna ran out of the house, ignoring her mother's pleas.

Hanna called Toby and asked him to give her Caleb's address. She drove there on automatic pilot and once she arrived at the cabin, she nervously knocked on his door. When a surprised Caleb answered it, she threw herself into his arms, hugging him, silent tears streaked on her cheeks.

Caleb held her against him, closed the door behind her and kissed the top of her head, whispering comforting words to her. Hana let him lead her to his couch where they sat in silence as she continued to cry her pain away while he held her against his chest. Once she finally calmed down, she turned her head to face him.

-'Toby told me that you were living here'. Caleb raised his eyebrows when he heard her words. He studied her face, wondering what had led her to his doorstep in the middle of the night in such a state.

-'What's up?' he slowly asked her.

-'I needed to see you. I needed something to keep my mind off the shitty night I've been having so far and you were the first person to cross my mind.' Caleb leaned back on his place on the couch to get a better look at Hanna.

-'Something happened?' Caleb waited patiently for her to tell him why she came to him crying, especially since he knew for a fact that she hated letting other people see her cry.

-'Ali was going to leave town tonight for good and I was helping her. Look, whoever killed Ali's mom is still out there', Hanna told him in a defensive voice, even though Caleb felt there was nothing to blame her for.

-'I can understand her wanting to go', he responded to her in a calm voice.

-'I realized I wasn't helping her to keep her safe. Part of me wanted her gone', Hana confessed to him, knowing he would understand what she was going through.

-'That makes sense. You never liked who you were when you were around her. And I doubt you want things to go back to how they were, especially given the current circumstances.' Caleb waited in silence for Hanna to continue talking.

-'I still want do... want her gone', Hanna let him know of the burden that had been plaguing her for weeks, ever since Allison had returned home.

-'Hanna, look whatever she stirred up inside of you, that's not gonna go away, even if she does. Those are the type of demons that everyone has to face sooner or late.' Caleb spoke calmly to her noticing she had other things on her mind as well.

-'I know you're right. I just wish I had just Ali's crisis to deal with today. Unfortunatly my mom caught me in an ambush and we talked about my paternity. I don't want to talk or think about that right now.' Hanna tried to keep her mind focused on being there with Caleb.

-'So what are you going to do now?' Caleb decided not to let her leave his sight for the moment, worried of what she might do on her own.

-'Honestly? I want to get drunk. Wasted drunk. So drunk that I forget about everything, even my own name, even though it's probably something I'll regret in the morning. That's what I plan on doing'. Caleb kissed the top of her head before he softly answered her.

-'You can do that here. That way I won't worry of anything happening to you'. Hanna faced him again, this time raising her eyebrows, not quite believing what he's just told her.

-'Under normal circumstances you hate it when I get drunk. You always complained about me doing stuff like that. Why the change of heart?' she asked him, genuinely surprised at his words.

-'What you're going through, Han, these aren't normal circumstances. I'll let it slide this once, but I'm not letting you leave this place because I know the things you do when you're drunk.'

Hanna sighed at him, shaking her head, defeated. She went to his fridge and grabbed a bottle of beer and then she headed back towards the couch.

-'Then drink with me. I hate it when I do this all by myself. I wanna see what you're capable of doing when you get drunk. I want to see this side of you'. Caleb nodded his head, grabbed a beer for himself, he sat down on the couch next to her, and took a sip...

**So my lovelies, it's the week-end, meaning I'm updating I haven't been answering your reviews lately and I apologize for this. Katie I haven't read the books, I only use what we saw of him on PLL as a source, yes he's a jerk we know that. I hope I managed to clear up the twist about Ashley in this chapter. Anons thank you for your reviews, traveling across Europe was a fantastic experience. Feyhazelle I hope I didn't disappoint you or anyone else with the Mama bear Ashley and Hanna's scene in this chapter. Also I hope you guys enjoyed the Haleb scene's in this chapter as well. Now I' off to finish editing the next chapte of 'Protection', and while I do that let me know what you guys think about this chapter.**

**Kisses, N**


	13. Chapter 13

Hanna made her way back to her house grateful her mom had left for work already, as she had no intention to tell her anything about where she had spent the previous night. Sighing in relief she made her way inside the shower, her mind playing over the part where she woke up cuddling Caleb on his couch. Hanna left while he was still sleeping, determined to keep some distance between Caleb and herself. She felt she owed it to Travis. Hanna got out of the shower and looked at herself in the mirror, finally admitting to herself that she needed to make a decision about her love life soon. She couldn't go running to Caleb every time she was down, when she was dating someone else.

Hanna got dresses and texted Tavis and asked him to meet her at the Brew, her mind set on breaking things off with him. She walked towards the coffee shop and as she neared it she spotted a pissed off Lucas talking to Travis. Curious as to what could be happening to make Lucas react that way, Hanna found a spot to listen in on their conversation. She froze as she heard her mom's name coming out of Lucas's mouth.

-'You must have a lot of guts to go around acting all high and mighty, pretending you did Hanna's mom such a huge favor when Caleb had to pay you to tell the truth, so come off that knight in shining armor stuff because it doesn't suit you at all.' Lucas's hand tightened on his water bottle while Hanna had to steady herself as she felt a wave of nausea come over her. Travis pressed his lips together before he replied to Lucas, giving him an once over.

-'So what? What's it to you how I act? Why do you care what's really going on as long as Hanna's happy? Besides if Caleb didn't tell her the truth, why do you care if I hide it as well?' Hanna took a sharp breath as she listened to the conversation the two oblivious boys were having in front of her. She closed her eyes as she realized what Caleb had gone through just to keep her mom safe. Opening her eyes once more, Hanna felt, for just a second,her world shift for the better just a little for the boy capable of doing such hings for her was one that probably still loved her a lot.

Just then Caleb walked outside the Brew, where he was supposed to meet Lucas to catch up over coffee, and spotted the confrontation between the two boys. Sensing that Lucas and Travis were discussing particular subject, he went over to them to try and stop them when he noticed Hanna watching the two boys as well. Judging by the look on her face she had learned the truth. Caleb decided to keep quiet and let Hanna be the one to interrupt the conversation going on in front of her.

-'I care because they're both my friends and you being here is causing nothing but pain for them both. Are really that much of a fool to actually believe she'll ever look at you they way she looks at Caleb? If you really care about Hanna at all then let her be free to make a choice knowing the whole truth about this'.

Caleb put his hnd on Lucas' shoulder to prevent him from saying anything else his eyes fixed on Hanna as she finally moved towards the three boys. Lucas and Travis froze in their places while Caleb tensed up. The look on Hanna's face usually meant that someone, usually him, would be in for a very long conversation with a possible homicidal Hanna Marin.

Hanna stepped in the center between the three boys, her eyes moving around to study both Lucas and Travis and both of them adverted their eyes, unable to confront her. She finally turned her face towards Travis and Caleb kept his distance behind her, ready to but in if necessary.

-'Travis, up until like 15 minutes ago, I liked you as a person. I honestly believed you were a decent guy, whom I was lucky enough to meet because you stepped in and saved my mom when she needed it but ultimately that's not completely true is it? And I have to much on my mind to have the time and engage myself into a mess like this. I can't blame you for not being completely honest with me, but I can ask you to forget about us being a couple anymore. I can't deal with man who had to be bribed into saving an innocent person from going to jail so I'd rather we end things here while I still have a shred of respect for you'.

Travis knew when he lost the war. He nodded his head and walked away, not once looking back. Hanna turned her head to face Caleb and Lucas, her eyes narrowed with annoyance.

-'I'll deal with the two of you later. Right now I better hurry or I'll be even later for school than I already am, but gentlemen believe me this isn't over'. She stormed away and went inside the Brew, leaving behind a sweating Lucas and a concerned Caleb. Once inside the Brew, Hanna clenched her hands to keep them from trembling. Nausea hit her once again so she decided to skip school. She went back to her house and packed a few clothes and toiletries and then headed to her car. She started her engine and the slowly drove away from Rosewood.

Hanna took a deep breath as she stepped inside the hotel room. She had spent the past four hours stuck inside her car, driving as far away as possible from Rosewood. She had had enough of all the drama: it was either Ali, or if it wasn't Ali then it was her mom; if Ashley kept her distance, A got her into trouble, when she didn't worry about A, and on top of all that, now there's the added drama of having discovered the truth about the connection between Caleb and Travis. Feeling as if she couldn't breathe anymore, Hanna decided to go to some place where she could be alone and sort things out.

She had sent Spencer a text message letting her know she was ok and out of reach, tossed her phone in her purse , got out of the car and went to the hotel lobby. She got a room under a fake I.D. She went to the room, she let herself fall on the bed and quickly fell asleep...

**Hello lovelies. Sorry it's been so long until I've managed to update this. But you guys truly never cease to amaze me with all the constant support I receive from all of you. Thank you so much for following this fic and for all your amazing reviews. Anon the way I see it. Life on planet Allison makes the girs wear glasses that only allow them to focus on being on planet Allison. Since Caleb has no connection to her it's only natural for him to notice what hell Hanna's going through in a heart beat. Katie as you can see adjustments have been made to this chapter. I've explained more about them on my e-mail... anyway i hop you guys enjoy this chapter as we're all getting ready to face the Haloby date net week and the summer finale the week after that. And this brings me to my second wave of thank you's. I've started writing as a way of facing the last PLL hiatus and all of you wonderful readers have made it bearable for me. And now that we're almost facing another hiatus I'll probably continue to write stuff down if only to get through it. So thank you very much to everyone for helping me have such a great ride. Anyway I hope you guys enjoy this new chapter, and that i'll hear from you all. Kisses N.**


	14. Chapter 14

Spencer Hastings entered the Brew, half an hour later after Hanna angrily stormed away from the coffee shop. She walked over to the table where her mother was waiting for her. Veronica Hastings smiled as she saw her daughter arrive. She set down her tablet that she was using to read the news and turned to face Spencer.

-'Hey',

-'Hey, I've got you banana nut'. Veronica smiled as Spencer who was anxiously waiting for the results of the talk her parents had the night before, took a seat in front of her.

-'Thank you'. Spencer took a sip from the drink in front of her and waited for her mom to start talking.

-'Is Toby coming?' Veronica skilfully tried to avoid being too direct about the matter she knew was probably plaguing her child's mind.

-' wanted me to drive him over to his house to see if anything survived the fire'. Veronica gave Spencer a concerned look, which clearly told Spencer she was worried for Toby's sake as well. She took comfort in knowing that both her parents supported her relationship with him even though they were currently at odds with each other.

-'Ah. That poor family. If there's anything I can do for them please just let me know'.

-'Yeah'. Spencer answered her mom as Veronica's cell phone started ringing. Veronica turned her head towards her phone, picked it up, and answered it.

-'Hey. I'm with Spencer at the Brew. Ahh... I'll be there around noon. I still have to get our stuff and get check out of the hotel first. Okay. Bye.' Spencer gave her mom a curious look after she heard that conversation. Hope started to fill her heart as she asked the question that was plaguing her mind:

-'Was that dad?'

-'It was'. Veronica answered in a calm serious tone.

-'Are we moving back home?' Spencer asked with a slight tone of happiness in her voice.

-'Yes... But your father is moving out'. Spencer suddenly froze as she heard her mom's words. 'We decided it was the best thing for everyone'.

-'You both decided this?' Spencer asked, not quite understanding what was going on between her parents. 'I don't understand though. I thought you said everything went well last night and that you believed him that he was telling you the truth.'

-'I do'. Veronica's voice sounded tired as she answered her.

-'So?'

-'Honey, leaving your dad isn't about one lie. It's about years of them'. Veronica studied Spencer's face, her own face covered in sadness.

-'I thought you guys were happy.' Spencer managed to whisper to her mom.

-'We were. Some of the time'. Veronica answered, her mind drifting to happier moments in her marriage.

-'Mom can you please, please, just give him one more chance?' Spencer asked, her voice filled with sadness as her eyes filled with tears.

-'No honey. I already have, too many.' Veronica's heart broke to see her child in pain over this decision. Spencer dried her eyes and walked away from her mom. She made her way to her car and drove away to school, tears covering her eyes.

Meanwhile, Toby decided to go to his family's cabin to check on Caleb and see how he was settling in. He found Caleb inside the cabin, studying a history text book. His math book sat on the table next to him.

-'Hey'. Caleb removed his eyes from his books and silently motioned for Toby to come inside. Caleb placed his book on the table and watched as Toby went to the fridge and place some water bottles inside it.

-'You might wanna be careful who you let inside this place from now on. I'd rather not see it blown to pieces as well.' Toby's eyes were filled with a mix of anger and frustration regarding his current situation.'So how are you settling back in? Do you need anything? Are you comfortable here? How are things between you and Hanna?' Toby removed to sodas from the fridge, gave one to Caleb, and sat on the couch facing his friend.

-'I'm adjusting. Honestly this place is great for me. I have lived in places far worse than this, remember? Things between Hanna and I are a little complicated right now. She broke things off with Travis and she seems to have a lot on her mind right now wih Allison being back. I worry about her, especially now that A raised the stake in their game. I'm trying to convince Hanna to go to the police. They're all in danger and it's not just them anymore. What if next time A plans on killing someone, it's one of the girls' parents?'

Toby nodded his head as he listened to Caleb's words because the same thoughts had been plaguing him for a while now. Caleb was right. The girls' best chance at finally getting rid of A was to go to the police. But considering the incompetence the Rosewood Police Department had displayed ever since this whole mess started, telling the police the truth wasn't much of a better option unless...

-'Toby, whatever it is that you're planning my answer is no. It's probably a bad idea that will only have me dead at Spencer's hands for not stoping you. And Hanna would help her because I helped upset her best friend.' Caleb noticed the look on his friend's face as he said this.

-'You don't even know what my idea is and besides, Spencer won't kill you for this anytime soon. She'll probably be too pissed off at me to have the time to spare for other people. You're right. The girls need to talk to the police, but the police in this town can't be trusted. So what better way to help them then by becoming a police officer?'

Caleb stared at his friend, mixed thoughts and feelings going through his head. He understood why Toby would make such a decision. Hell he was tempted to do the same thing. The only problem was that they both knew far too much of what was going on.

-' I get why you want to do this. But you are aware that this would only mean that A is going to come after you now, right? And the bitch doesn't stop at nothing. And that's assuming you'll actually manage to avoid Spencer's wrath long enough to join the police force. Once you tell her she's gonna freak so much you'll regret ever having this idea.'

Toby smiled as he heard the respect Caleb's voice carried for his girlfriend, respect and just a little fear. Leaning back on the couch, Toby made up his mind, a silent understanding passing between the two boys.

-'Oh crap. Like I said before it's a bad idea. Spencer's gonna kill me for keeping this a secret. Hanna's gonna help her because I knew and did nothing to stop you. And then they'll both probably come after you as well'. Caleb chuckled as he faced his friend. Both of them knew how angry and terrifying their girls could get when they weren't pleased about something. 'My advice to you is to let Spencer know of your plan only after you've joined the police academy'.

-'Hey are you forgetting this is my girlfriend we're talking about here? I'm not suicidal enough to tell her anything about this until after I've done it so that she can't do anything to make me change up my mind'.

-'Toby? Just be careful. This isn't a game and if you get hurt or kill, Spencer would probably loose it. In that case trust me, I know how to make you pay for hurting someone whom I care about like I would a sister'.

Toby nodded his head, finished his water bottle, and walked towards the door. Toby turned to face Caleb before opening the door.

-'Caleb? Do yourself a favor. Try and keep Hanna as far away as possible from Allison. That girl is a ticking bomb and I really don't want to see any of the girls get caught in the debris once it explodes. That whole kidnapping story of hers? I don't believe it any more than you do. See you around'. Toby exited the cabin leaving behind a silent Caleb who then returned to his studies, as he was soon supposed to face his exit exams.

Several hours later, an irate Spencer pounded on the cabin door, surprising Caleb as she made her way inside. Caleb closed the door silently behind her and wondered why she was there. Was it Hanna or Toby?

-'Have you talked to Hanna today? She was supposed to meet the girls and me at school. Instead, I got a message from her telling me that she's going to be out of town for a couple of days to clear out her head.'

Caleb studied the concerned Spencer before he decided to tell her what had happened at the Brew earlier that day. He grabbed his laptop and opened up a GPS tracking program.

-'I saw her at the Brew today. She ended things with Travis and she probably left town because she's pissed at Lucas and me'. Spencer watched him with a frown on her face as he worked on the program on his computer.

-'I'm sorry but why would Hanna be pissed at you if she broke things off with Travis? How are you related to this? What did you do?' Caleb gave her a long look before he started explaining things.

-'Lucas was the one who told me about Travis being at the lake the night Wilden was murdered, I used my mom's connections to convince Travis to come forward with the information he had'.

-'Why am I hearing about this only now? Why didn't you tell Hanna about it months ago?'

-'Because I didn't want to get her hopes up. You know as well as I do that Ashley Marin was nearly convicted for a crime she didn't do. Travis was her only hope and honestly he had no intention of doing anything about it. Telling Hanna then would have only made things worse for her and telling her now was something Travis should've done.'

-'How did Hanna find out the truth?' Spencer took a deep breath and decided to wait for him to finish his story before she killed him for being a complete idiot.

-'She overheard Lucas and Travis arguing about it at the Brew .I imagine she decided to skip town right after that.' Caleb checked hs computer and saw that the tracking program had found a location.

-'I'll try to get in touch with her. But I swear, if you want to get another shot at being with her, you need to stop hiding stuff away from her. Because if she decided to kill you, I'll help her hide your body.' Caleb smiled as he heard her words and then closed his laptop.

-'She's in a hotel that's about 4 hours drive away from here. I suggest we let her calm down a little and if she's not back by tomorrow night I'll go talk to her'.

-'And how would you know where she is?' Spencer raised an eyebrow at him, while he nervously brushed the back of his neck while facing her. 'Caleb Rivers, you better answer me right now!'

-'After what happened at the Lodge months ago, I put a GPS tracking app on her phone. It helps me sleep better at night if I have an idea of her whereabouts.' Spencer silently took in his words. While she knew that she could trust him with her life, she couldn't help but wonder if that meant that he also knew about the girls's little New York trip. She sighed as she headed out towards the door.

-'I'll let Mrs. Marin know about Hanna's message. I just hope she comes back home soon'. Spencer walked out of the cabin while Caleb watched her leave from his door. Once he saw her drive away, he packed a few things, got inside his car he drove away.


	15. Chapter 15

Hanna took a deep breath as she stepped inside the hotel room. She had spent the past four hours stuck inside her car, driving as far away from Rosewood as possible. She had had enough of all the drama: it was either Ali, or if it wasn't Ali then it was her mom; if Ashley kept her distance, A got her into trouble, and on top of all that, now there was the added drama of having Caleb back in her life. Slamming her hand on her wheel Hanna took a deep breath, slowly muttering against what now appeared to have been a stupid idea: going to Ravenswood, in search of answers regarding her break up with Caleb. Feeling as if she couldn't breathe anymore, Hanna decided to go to some place where she could be alone and sort things out.

She had sent Spencer a text message letting her know she was ok and out of reach, tossed her phone in her purse, got out of the car and went to the hotel lobby. She got a room under a fake went to the room, let herself fall on the bed and quickly fell asleep.

Some time later, she made her way to the hotel's pool area. Once she got there, she swam a few laps before making her way out to her chaise lounge. She dried herself quickly and then suddenly noticed someone had stopped right in front of her.

-'Do you want something? I'm not in the mood for company, so say what you have to say and get lost'. She studied the man in front of her.

-'I noticed you swimming earlier and that you were single. Honestly, I had this entire speech about both of us being here alone and how we could do something about it, but you wouldn't fall for that would you?'

-'Talk to me like that again and I'll hit you. And I'm not interested into changing my status. I came here to be alone. Now leave me be.' Hanna turned on her heels and made her way back to the lobby, wondering if she had been too harsh. As she reached the lobby she heard the same man calling out after her again.

-'Seriously, what part of "get lost", don't you understand? Tell me and I'll gladly explain it to you'. Hanna studied him, irritated, and then noticed that he held her phone in his hand. Hanna's cheeks flushed as she realized that despite her attitude, the young man had been kind enough to retrieve her phone for her. 'I apologize. I usually behave better than this'.

-'So, how long are you staying here?' They headed out towards he elevator before getting inside it together.

-'For a while, I guess'.

-'And here I thought I was the only one to ago on vacation all by myself'. They chatted until Hanna reached her door. As he began to walk away, Hanna called out after him.

-'Do you want to drop by later and drink a cup of coffee with me?'

Half an hour later found her sitting across her acquittance, both of them enjoying a cup of coffee, on her balcony. She refused to think about anything that was going on in her life and only paid attention to the person in front of her. As she finished her coffee , she leaned back in her chair, enjoying the view she had from her balcony.

Her partner remained seated as he silently focused on studying her. She got up from her seat, headed to the balcony railway and she leaned against it, letting her hair fall in her eyes. Before she could push push it behind her ears, she felt his hand gently brush it away.

She turned her head back towards her companion and waited for him to act. His hand that was touching her head moved lower, his soft fingers caressing her collarbone and neck. She closed her eyes and indulged herself in the soft touch. She finally felt a pair of lips gently kiss their way up her collarbone, softly kissing their way, nipping and licking her skin in a teasing manner.

When his lips finally reached hers, she felt a pair of arms reach out and trap her against the railway. She finally opened her eyes to look at the person doing this to her and felt her body shake with desire. A soft moan escaped her mouth as she felt him grin inside their kiss. She grinded against him, causing a delicious friction that made warmth spread between both of their bodies.

She grabbed him by the neck, finally feeling his arms close around her waist. With a sudden move, she jumped in his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist. She felt him carry her back inside the room.

He gently lowered her on the bed and remained positioned seated between her legs. She raised her head to face him and as she did so, he gently removed a rebel lock of hair from her face. He searched her face for signs of doubts and once he found the answer he was looking for, he went in for another kiss. This was a more heated kiss and Hanna ended up lying on her back as he softly started removing her shirt.

He exposed her gradually, gently kissing and touching every inch of her skin as if she was made of porcelain. She let him explore her body, her eyes not once leaving his.

His touches became more passionate and his kisses more urgent as he finally finished removing her clothes while her hands removed his own. They resumed kissing and soon ended up in the middle of the bed.

Hanna rested her head against his shoulder before finally looking him in the eyes. She playfully bit his chest, leaving a small mark on his skin, knowing he would use it as an excuse to reciprocate. She traced the scar on his forehead with her finger as she felt him take a sharp breath. He soon relaxed as she whispered softly to him:

-'I love you, Caleb. I always have'.

-'I love you too Hanna. I will always love you'.

The following morning as Hanna made her way back to school, she was ambushed by Spencer, who had spent the night trying to find a way of calming herself down and not send rescue party after her. Hanna's words remained unspoken as she and the girls were suddenly cornered by Emily into having dinner at her place. Unable to find a decent way to excuse herself from the event Hanna eventually headed off to the cafeteria to get some water and fresh air. Seeing Caleb sit at the table where she and the girls usually ate, she made her way over to him. She quickly noticed a tray of fries lying on the table as Caleb was concentrating on reading a book.

Sensing her presence there Caleb raised his head a soft smile appearing on his lips as the concerned look on his eyes disappeared slowly. She sat down at the table in front of him, slowly debating whether she should kill him for keeping the truth about Travis away from her, but then she decided to postpone that particular conversation, settling for stealing away some of his fries. As he threw her a raised eyebrow, she silently released the fries.

-'I'm sorry I should've asked before I took them'. Caleb froze as he heard her defeated tone. Silently he wondered why Hanna felt so depressed after the night they had spent away from Rosewood.

-'You never did before. What's wrong?' Caleb felt his heart cringe as he saw Hanna take in a tired sigh. She finished eating the fries, before answering his question.

-'I'm supposed to attend a dinner party for Allison at Emily's place tonight. I have no choice but to go there and help Emily make sure her mom doesn't grill Allison as well.' Caleb's frown deepened, because he was perfectly aware why she needed her space away from Allison and all her poisonous influence.

-'Then don't go. Hanna it's ok if you want to loosen your ties with Allison, given everything that's going on around you right now.' Hanna sighed as she looked at him. She eventually managed to utter to him the thing she hd come to fer the most lately:

-'I just don't want to get myself involved in a weird custody battle over my friends with her'. Caleb tried to ease her pain and worries away, by slowly reminding her that there were other people who cared about her.

-'Well if you loose them, you'll always have me'. He told her that before he got up from his seat. H e gave her a slow kiss on the forehead as she leaned in and touched his arm holding it in one place for a moment. He eventually pulled away from their embrace and headed out to the counsellor's office. As he walked inside the classroom he decided to talk Allison DiLaurentis a visit as soon as possible and to make his position regarding Hanna clear.

**Hello lovelies. Sorry for the delay in updating this story. I've been going through a distressful period which almost ended with me deciding to stop writing. However I have received a lot of support and so I'm not giving it up yet. **

**However due to certain things going on in my life right now I will only update 'Miss me by 100' for the next while. Rest assured that as soon as we're done with this fic, I'll start updating 'Protection' as well. Also after a small tak with my beta I have decided to edit my old fictions. In some cases this means new scenes to be added o maybe even new chapters. **

**Thank you to everyone ho was kind enough to leave a review or to follow my stories so far. It means a lot to me to see so much support. Katieee, thank you so much for all your help and support, it means the world to me. **

**So people I hope you like this new chapter and also that you guys let me know what you think.**

**Until the next time,**

**Nico**


	16. Chapter 16

After I made my way to the principal's office and once again enrolled myself into Rosewood High, I noticed it's former queen Bee entering an empty classroom, so I decided to follow her inside as well. The famous Allison DiLaurentiss, the one who had been a real bane of existence for so many people, was standing in front of me. She looked at me, giving me what I imagined would be her kind smile, then again I don't really give a damn about it.

-'_It's nice to see you now that the smoke has cleared_'. Seriously? Your way of introducing yourself is to remind me that my best friend's house blew up because of you? Suit yourself. Let's go down this road then.

-'_I'm still catching up on air_'. The smile slowly fades into an uncomfortable frown on your face. Perhaps you were not expecting me to be sarcastic about this?

-'_Are you taking these tests as well?_' You quickly change the subject as soon as it stops suiting your interests, I give you a small ironic smile as I reply.

-'_Some of us don't need to. We actually made it to school_'. You narrow your eyes as you stare at me. No offence, but I'm honestly not sorry. After all I use my playful banter only on one particular blonde. Thank God she's not here right now. She would rip my head off for talking to "queen Allison" like this.

-'_Either way it comes down to the same thing; pass/fail, win/lose_'. She glanced at me over her shoulder as I leaned in the door way and watched her sign the papers in front of her.

-'_Is that what you learned in the two years someone had you in a box?_' I mock your kidnapping story as you narrow your eyes towards me once again. It's clear you're wondering just how much I know about everything that has been going on. Honestly, I know the girls pretty well at this point and I know that whatever sob story you told the cops is just another one of the lies you are so famous for.

-'_I've got out of the box, didn't I ?_' Ok so I hit a nerve there. Good because I think it's time I make myself clear on where I stand on this subject, on why I'm even having this conversation with you. I don't give a shit about what you do or what lies you tell as long as you don't hurt Hanna or the girls anymore.

-'_With a little help from your friends, yes_'. No I'm guessing that you weren't expecting me to know more about your homecoming than the rest of the school does. I'm surprised a little. It's not like you to underestimate someone.

-'_Everyone needs someone to support them_'. Really? You're going for the victim card now? I smile as I put my arms together while I watch purse your lips together, finally understanding where this conversation is really going and what I'm talking about.

-'_You seem to need a lot of support_'. I mock your words as your frown deepens.

-'_I'm not sure I understand what you mean_'. You finally respond while studying my face.

-'_I'm not sure I understand it either. I don't know you that well_'. I once again push your nerves because I'm guessing people rarely stand up to you. And then there's me, the person willing to kick you out of Hanna's life.

-'_You don't know me at all_'. You sound a little defeated. I doubt it's going to last for long. You are the queen of comebacks after all.

'_That's right. I just know you from what you leave behind like a tornado_'. Well I guess the cat is out of the bag now. I'm not here to play nice and be your friend. I'm here to help and protect Hanna against your influence. Our conversation is cut off as the bell rings and the teacher enters the classroom. I excuse myself and walk away, a small grin on my face while I watch Allison fume over my departure.

**Hello everyone,**

**I know this chapter os short, but I needed it to happen. Katie, this is the chapter that you inspired me to write. It was such a fun chapter to write because it allowed me to make Callison butt heads but also it allowed me to let you guys see what Caleb's thinking about Allison. What he really feels about her return. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter as uch as I did when I wrote it.**

**Also starting the next chapter this fic will have some major chages to the storyline. I will try to use only some of the canon elements. For now just enjoy it and review. **

**I am also using this chapter to announce another break fom writing for me. I hav an exam coming up in 2 weeks and I'm taking the time I need to study for it. But rest assured if my beta and I find the time then my fics will be updated. And yes that means a possible update for 'Protection' as well.**

**Hope to hear soon from you all.**

**Nico**


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